Dorcas De La Santos Beltran Cuniffe Greer passed away peacefully late Tuesday, May 20, 2014, in Winslow. A memorial service was held May 24 at the First Baptist Church in Winslow.

She was born May 13, 1946, on the island of Mindanao, Philippines, to Ludovico and Felisa Beltran.

Dorcas and her family moved to the United States when she was about 6 years old. In 1964, she graduated from Armijo High School in Fairfield, Calif. Four years later, she obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis.

While at UC Davis, Dorcas met John W. Cuniffe and the two were later wed. They moved to Arizona, where John worked for KNAU and Dorcas began her teaching career on the Navajo Reservation. John joined her in the educational field, teaching at Northland Pioneer College, while Dorcas moved to the Winslow Unified School District, where she taught for over 20 years.

While in Winslow, they were blessed with two beautiful daughters, Erin and Kelly.

Dorcas’ passion of teaching and life-long learning led her to earn her Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics from Northern Arizona University.

She lost John to heart disease in January 1995.

Three years later she met Ed Greer, the love of her life. They were married on Oct. 31, 1998. They moved to Williams, where Ed still works for the Grand Canyon Railway and Dorcas continued her love of teaching at Coconino Community College.

Two years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer, and battled it with her amazing passion and strong spirit until the day she died.

Survivors include her husband, Ed Greer; her daughters, Erin Cuniffe (David Silva) and Kelly (Michael Espinoza); two granddaughters, Penelope and Gwendolyn; two brothers, Levi (Alma) and Cesar (Victoria) Beltran; a sister, Helen (Gino Gonzales); and many nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, John; her parents, Ludovico and Felisa; and three older brothers.